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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23846266">It all comes down to you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplexhemmings/pseuds/purplexhemmings'>purplexhemmings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Heartbreak, Hurt Peter Parker, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Sad Peter Parker, Steve Rogers is Not a Virgin, Supportive May Parker (Spider-Man), Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has Issues, the author is projecting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:26:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,222</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23846266</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplexhemmings/pseuds/purplexhemmings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"I wanted to know why you were being weird with me, but I can see why. Six months hey? We only broke up two months ago Tones." Peter's heart has completely shattered and by the look on Tony's face, he couldn't care less.</p><p> </p><p>NOTE: The author is foreshadowing their own life problems onto Starker. Also, I have no idea how old Peter is in this so please don't come for me.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ned Leeds &amp; Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>NOTE: I have no clear idea of how old Peter is in this. Obviously I reference Ned and Lego but I'm under the firm belief that Ned and Peter will love Lego until the day they die. So make of this what you will!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Happy New Year baby." Tony smiled, pulling his lovers hand to his lips, placing the most delicate kiss upon dainty knuckles.</em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <em>Peter blushed, he'd never get tired of hearing Tony use pet names. "Happy New Year." He agreed, using his free hand to lift his champagne filled glass</em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <em>They clinked their glasses together in cheers, welcoming in the new year with a kiss. Fireworks exploded around them and it was honestly perfect. This was the 4th year the pair had celebrated together and each year Peter would fall more in love with the idea of spending this celebration alone with Tony.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It's now 3 days later, Peter hadn't heard anything from Tony since. He'd gone home the day after New Years, absolutely elated, but also downcast. Tony had been muttering to himself, something completely incoherent and discombobulated that Peter couldn't put together a single sentence that he was mumbling.</p><p><br/>Peter had dropped Tony a couple of messages, but there hadn't been any response. It was never unusual not to hear from Tony, but that was over the course of hours, not days. He didn't want to come across as clingy and Tony may well be busy with meetings and whatnot, who knows. Certainly not Peter.</p><p><br/>He was currently on FaceTime, venting his frustrations to Ned. "I don't know what I've done wrong!"</p><p> <br/>"You can't always assume that you've done something wrong Peter." Ned says, he's distracted by the new Lego set he'd gotten for Christmas.</p><p><br/>Peter rolls his eyes, "Well why can't I? New Years was absolutely perfect and now radio silence, it's almost deafening."</p><p><br/>The minute he finishes what he's saying, a notification drops from the top of the screen, the ping to alert him of a new message sounds and grabs Ned's attention as well as his own.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>Tones&lt;3 - Come over, we need to talk. </strong>
</p><p><br/>His heart drops into his stomach, eyes widening slightly. "Is everything okay?" Ned asks, concern clear on his face through the phone.</p><p> <br/>"It's Mr Stark, he wants to talk... I'll call you later dude." Peter mumbles. Ned nods, flashing him a peace sign as he disconnects the call.</p><p> </p><p><br/>Peter sighs and shakes his head as he walks up to the tower, why was he so nervous all of a sudden. In the almost 4 years of dating Tony, he'd never felt as anxious as he feels right now.</p><p><br/>He enters the building, FRIDAY notifying him that Tony is in the kitchen. Once in the elevator he takes another shaky breath, not too sure what to expect.</p><p><br/>When he gets to the kitchen, he see's Tony hunched over the counter. He's got a mug of coffee sat idly beside him, Peter's just thankful it's not alcohol seeing as Tony's been doing well to kick his drinking habit aside from special occasions.</p><p><br/>"Hey, you wanted to talk? What's, um, what's up?" Peter asks, taking tentative steps towards Tony. On a normal day, he'd come bounding in towards the older man, enveloping him in a warm, tight embrace. But today the atmosphere felt different, tense.</p><p><br/>Tony turned, his eyes not giving away a hint of emotion in the absolute slightest. "You might want to sit down." He mumbles, motioning his head towards the island in the centre of the kitchen. Peter perches on the edge of a stool, still hesitant.</p><p><br/>"What's wrong Mr Stark? Did something happen with Stark Industries? What about with the Avengers, is everyone okay?" Peter presses, desperate to know what's gotten inside Tony's mind enough to trouble him like this.</p><p><br/>Tony runs a hand across his face and shudders, can barely meet Peter's eyes, instead opting to close his own and brace himself against the counter top once again. "There's no easy way to say this Pete and I need you to understand that this really isn't simple." Silence fills the room, Peter waiting for Tony to continue.</p><p><br/>"I think we should draw a line between us."</p><p><br/>Peter feels like the stool and floor have just been pulled from beneath him, almost instantly getting tunnel vision and his heart racing a mile a minute. His brain has completely short circuited and he can't even begin to comprehend what Tony had just said to him. "Wh-What do you, what do you mean draw a line?" His voice perfectly illustrates exactly how he feels at that moment, weak and broken.</p><p><br/>"You heard me. We can't continue this anymore. We both want completely different things in life and I can't let you live an unhappy life. That's even too selfish for me."</p><p><br/>"But Mr Stark I-"</p><p><br/>"You've got your whole life ahead of you kid, you don't want to spend your days tending to an old man. You're gunna want a family at some point no doubt, I can't give you that Peter."</p><p><br/>Never in a million years did Peter ever think that this would happen. His heart had been ripped from his chest and thrown onto the floor, Tony trampling over it to ensure that it's well and truly broken. Tears begin to form, his bottom lip quivering too. "That's not fair, I love you."</p><p><br/>"I love you too, but eventually it's not going to be enough. I can't let this continue anymore, I'm sorry I never meant to hurt you. I'll get Happy to drop you home so you don't have to walk or swing or whatever."</p><p><br/>That was a real kick to the teeth, an insult in and of itself. The tears he had been trying so hard to hold back were freely running down his burning cheeks at this point. "I don't want to go home, I want to stay here with you. I just please Tony-"</p><p><br/>Peter could tell that addressing the older by his name as opposed to Mr Stark had struck him, but it wasn't enough. If anything, it seemed to fuel whatever was bubbling inside Tony.</p><p><br/>"Just leave will you! I've said all that there is to say, so get out of here. I don't want to see you anymore." Tony growled, eyes wide in bewilderment.<br/>Peter stood, ignoring his trembling knees and took a step towards Tony, reaching a hand out towards his shoulder.</p><p><br/>"I'm not going to tell you again, get out." Tony snapped, shoving Peter's arm away from him and then placing  a hand over his face again. Peter allowed his legs to give out from beneath him, dropping to the floor and sobbing. He vaguely registers two hands resting on his forearms, someone leaning down and encouraging him to get up. </p><p><br/>It was Happy. He must have heard the entire exchange, there's no way he couldn't have. He haphazardly pulls himself up from the floor, allowing himself to be guided from the kitchen towards the elevator. He didn't have an ounce of energy to put up a fight with Happy, instead hanging his head low and letting his sobs rack his shoulders. "I'm sorry kid." He could hear Happy whisper to him, which only made him cry that bit harder.</p><p><br/>The drive home was almost silent aside from the radio playing, Peter daren't say a word. He sat in the back seat trying his hardest not to cry, sniffling all while resting his teary gaze on his hands fidgeting in his lap. He could feel Happy look at him through the rear-view mirror but never met his stare.</p><p><br/>As they pulled up to Peter's apartment building, Happy leaned over the driver seat to properly address him. "You're gunna be okay kid, trust me. If you need anything, uh, you know just call me and I'll see how I can help." Happy smiled sadly at Peter, the pair still not making eye contact. At that, Peter clambered out of the car and made his way up to his apartment, thankful that May's working a double shift at the hospital and doesn't have to see him in this absolute state.</p><p><br/>He sheds his clothes, throwing them wherever with no care in the world, throwing himself onto his bed and sobbing once again. His phone pings with a new text notification.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>Tones&lt;3 - I'm sorry baby, I had to do it in person. I couldn't say those things over text, that's completely heartless and I have more respect for you than that. I hope you understand. I love you, forever and always yours, Tony x</strong>
</p><p><br/>It all began to feel like to much, Peter threw his phone on the floor after reading the message over and over until he physically couldn't see past the tears anymore. He buried his face in his pillow, screaming in absolute heartbreak and agony. What the hell was this whole night supposed to mean anyway?</p><p><br/>Exhaustion must have consumed Peter at some point in the night, he's not entirely sure what time but eventually he fell into dreamless sleep. When he awoke, for a split second, he felt great and then reality hit him like a freight train. He had a terrible headache but he also felt hideously numb. </p><p><br/>Reaching for his phone, he could see how puffy his eyes were from all the crying during the night. He had a notification on his phone, but not from Tony.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>Ned - How'd it go with Tony?</strong>
</p><p><br/>Peter clenched his eyes shut, breathing becoming shaky and tears threatening the corners of his eyes. The events of the previous night plagued his thoughts constantly, he couldn't drag his mind away from what had happened. No matter how hard he tried, his heart fell heavier in his chest with each passing minute and the tears sprung with no warning.</p><p><br/>If this was what Tony truly wanted, then Peter had to respect him. Perhaps he's just under strain from work, as good as Pepper was at being CEO for Stark Industries, that didn't mean she could handle the weight of the company herself. Even so, could have been some Avengers related drama getting him down.</p><p> </p><p><br/>February 13th rolled around and still no contact between the pair, Peter knew better than to seek out Tony. It would just make matters worse if he should attempt any kind of communication. He checked in via Happy from time to time, ensuring that the older man was eating well and such. As it seems, it was pretty much business as usual for Tony, minus Peter being present. When he found that out, he didn't expect it to hurt as much as it did.</p><p><br/>Peter was out running some errands with Ned for May when his phone pinged.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>Tones&lt;3 - Hey, fancy coming to the tower tomorrow evening?</strong>
</p><p><br/>"Dude, how comes you haven't changed his contact name yet?" Ned asked, peering over Peter's shoulder. Peter was frozen, staring at the message with his mouth wide open in shock. "Careful you don't catch flies bro." Ned chuckled, gently nudging Peter's chin with his knuckles.</p><p><br/>Peter shook himself from shock, "For this reason exactly! He wants to see me Ned!" He smiled, shoving his phone in Ned's face.</p><p><br/>"Yeah, but why now? It's been over a month since you've last spoke to him." </p><p><br/>"It's also Valentines Day tomorrow, surely that means he's going to show me a grand gesture of love and then we go back to happily ever after!"</p><p> </p><p>"No, something doesn't seem right. You're not listening to me Peter, it's been a whole month and he wasn't the nicest in getting you to leave don't forget."</p><p><br/>Peter wasn't listening anymore, he shrugged Ned off with a playful eye roll and a casual, "Yeah, yeah. You're just jealous that he's not inviting you over for Valentines."</p><p><br/>"Alright whatever you say man, I'm not convinced in the slightest."</p><p> </p><p><br/>For the rest of the time until he got to see Tony again, Peter walked with an extra spring in his step. May was glad to see that Peter had come out of his slump, not that he'd indulged her on what the problem was in the first place.</p><p><br/>He made sure that before he saw Tony, that he'd purchased a brand new lingerie set. Burgundy red panties to compliment his pale skin tone. The poor lady in the shop had spent well over an hour with Peter, pulling different sets out for him to try and making sure that he only picked the perfect one and didn't settle for anything halfhearted. He just hoped Tony liked it as much as he did.</p><p><br/>Arriving at the tower had Peter hadn't prepared himself for the shit show that was due to commence and he was yet to discover what nightmare was waiting for him.</p><p> <br/>"Good evening Peter, Mr Stark is in his bedroom awaiting your arrival." FRIDAY said, not wasting a second he jumped into the elevator and let FRIDAY take him to Tony. True to her word, there Tony was, laying all nonchalant on his bed scrolling through his phone. He peered over the top of the device when he heard Peter lightly knock on the door, a devilish grin creeping onto his face.</p><p><br/>Peter stood awkwardly in the door frame, not knowing what to do with himself now that he was actually here. "Come on princess, don't be shy." Tony purred, placing his phone on the bedside table. He kept his eyes trained on Peter, watching his every movement. </p><p><br/>Against his best attempts, Peter instantly flushed at the pet name, slightly becoming light headed as well. He'd forgotten what kind of effect Tony had on him. He couldn't get to the bed quick enough, the minute he's close, Tony's leaning up to grab his waist and pull them together so as Peter can straddle him.</p><p><br/>The kiss that followed let loose a ton of butterflies in the pit of Peter's stomach and god he missed just how magical kissing Tony was. They continued making out for a while, familiarising themselves with one another all over again. Tony began nosing at Peter's neck, leaving sloppy kisses and licks against the skin until Peter became a moaning moan mess above him.</p><p><br/>Tony snaked a hand around the back of Peter's neck and pulled him down onto the bed, discarding his shirt in the process. He continued littering kisses all the way down Peter's chest and torso, taking a moment to admire his sculpted physique. Tony took pleasure in leaving a dirty hickey right under his navel, blissfully enjoying how much Peter's squirming beneath him.</p><p> <br/>He finally reaches the button to Peter's jeans, looking up through his lashes to see how red Peter's face still is. Tony chuckles to himself as he undoes the offending clothes, revealing the panties Peter had bought earlier in the day.</p><p> <br/>Peter's hands fly to cover his eyes in mild embarrassment. He's not entirely sure why he's suddenly gotten so shy, he used to frequently wear this kind of underwear to impress Tony, maybe it was too assumptive that they were going to have sex tonight. Tony's silence doesn't help matters in the absolute slightest and Peter prays that the mattress will just consume him whole and save him from this situation.</p><p><br/>"You look like a dream baby, so good for me." He hears Tony say, uncovering his eyes and looking down at the older man, he can see the lust eating him alive. He's eyeing him up like actual candy and Peter can't wait for him to get the show on the road. </p><p> </p><p>Peter lay across the bed haphazardly, panting, whilst Tony is in the bathroom. It was better than anything they'd ever done before, Tony was slightly more rough with him, doing things completely out of the usual for them which was... nice, he supposes. He couldn't care less in this exact moment though, he's in pure bliss.</p><p><br/>Okay, so there was no grand gesture of love, but Peter supposes that this is perfect enough for him and Tony wouldn't have invited him round just for this right?</p><p><br/>Wrong.</p><p><br/>An hour after Peter arrived, they're back in the kitchen, Peter trying his absolute hardest not to think back to the month prior and ruining his pretty fantastic mood. Tony's pouring himself a drink, his back to Peter the whole time.</p><p><br/>"How was that for you?" Peter asks, always one to know whether he lived up to Tony's expectations and whatnot. He notices that Tony's shoulders slightly stiffen before he answers.</p><p><br/>"It's just sex isn't it, can't be completely terrible if we've slept together before." He shrugs, taking a swig of his whiskey, before refilling the glass.</p><p><br/>Well that wasn't exactly the answer that Peter had expected, "What do you mean it's just sex, aren't we like back together or something?"</p><p><br/>Tony nearly chocked on his next drink, luckily swallowing before coughing profusely. He spins around to face Peter and raises an eyebrow once he's composed himself. "Absolutely not, did you seriously think this was going to be anything more than sex?"</p><p><br/>"Well, it's Valentines Day is it not?" Peter shyly points out.</p><p><br/>"Don't make me laugh, maybe it's time you head home." Tony rolls his eyes, pulling his phone from his sweatpants pocket and scrolling through, not paying any further notice to him.</p><p><br/>Peter storms up to Tony and takes his phone from his hands, slamming it onto the worktop with a little more force than anticipated.  "How about, don't patronise me Tony. We were together for 4 fucking years, of course I thought this was going to be more than sex. There must have been a reason for you to contact me after a month of radio silence and invite me over, on Valentines Day no less!"</p><p><br/>"Don't flatter yourself Parker, I had nothing better to do with my evening. I knew you'd come with just a single text and here we are. Now get going."</p><p><br/>"I'm not a play thing Tony, I have feelings you know!" Peter takes another step into Tony's space, daring him to continue.</p><p><br/>Tony seems to take notice of Peter's challenge, "If you're not a play thing, why did you come over in those pretty panties then, hm?" Tony leans closer to Peter, grabbing his chin so they're looking directly into each others eyes. "You expect me to believe that you came here expecting a completely different outcome when you're wearing those. Deep down you knew I wanted one thing, you just didn't want to admit it to yourself."</p><p><br/>Peter shakes his head, taking a step backwards this time, "You could have anybody though, why me?"</p><p><br/>"Easiest option." Tony smirks, stepping towards Peter and closing the gap between them again.</p><p><br/>"No you're jus-"</p><p><br/>"I'm just what baby? I'm just saying it? Not the case and you know it. If you're looking for comfort you've come to the wrong place sweetheart. I'm heading out to see Rhodey any minute now, so you're going to want to leave anyway." Tony dismissed, waltzing into his bedroom to find something to wear.</p><p><br/>Peter followed suit, in absolute disbelief. "Fine, I'll go. On one condition!" Tony turns to hear what Peter has to propose.</p><p><br/>"If that meant absolutely nothing to you and you have absolutely no feelings for me, you won't kiss me."</p><p><br/>Without missing a beat, Tony cupped both of Peter's cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss. This one wasn't rushed, it was full of feeling, slow and sensual. Before he could really relish in the kiss, Tony pulled away. "You should go now Peter, I mean it." He muttered, giving him a final kiss on the nose and turning away.</p><p><br/>"You're unbelievable!" Peter heaved, hauling his ass towards the elevator. This whole situation was an absolute mind fuck. </p><p> </p><p>Over the next week, Peter had attempted to make contact with Tony and although it was a success, it was pretty dire. The conversation was pretty fleeting and he was finding more times than not that Tony was either ignoring him or keeping the chit chat very simple, refusing to divulge on anything.</p><p><br/>It was a Wednesday when Peter decided to hash it out with Tony, find out what the problem really was. But again, to no avail, he was getting desperate at this point and he didn't have time to play games. His next best option was to drop Pepper a message, see if the workload was getting to him or if he was just being an asshole in general.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>Peter - Hey Ms Potts, I'm so sorry to be troubling you, but I was just curious about Tony. He's been acting kinda funny with me lately and Happy insists that it's nothing that I've done, is it the workload getting him down? Sorry again. Peter</strong>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>Pepper - Hi Peter, Not a bother at all, it's always lovely hearing from you. In terms of his attitude, it would have nothing to do with his workload at Stark Industries, since the New Year I've taken on new team members and have managed to spread the workload amongst ourselves. I know that he's reassembled the Avengers so he tends to spend a lot of time with them. Hope that helps, keep well. Pepper x</strong>
</p><p><br/>Whilst it explained a lot, it explained nothing at the same time. He felt even more clueless than before he messaged Pepper. He decided to take matters into his own hands and investigate himself. He'd go to the tower uninvited and see what's going on and finally get some answers.</p><p><br/>That night would be perfect, sooner rather than later to get answers is ideal in Peter's opinion, so he busies himself until the evening. </p><p><br/>By the time sunset comes, Peter is anxious beyond words. He doesn't know what he's going to discover but he needs to know and put his demons to bed at last. He swings up to the tower, striding straight in and not paying any mind to FRIDAY, completely blocking out what she's saying to him. </p><p><br/>The lift instantly starts moving the minute the doors are shut and it takes Peter to the living area. There doesn't seem to be anyone in sight, Peter hesitantly exits the lift and looks around. "Mr Stark?" Peter calls, hoping to coax Tony out from wherever he is, FRIDAY surely wouldn't have brought him up here if Tony wasn't here.</p><p><br/>He can hear laughing coming from outside, Peter furrows his brows and moves further into the room, noticing two figures standing on the balcony, overlooking the city below them. Peter can see Tony stood with a glass of champagne in one hand, the other hand resting on the waist of none other than Captain America himself, Steve Rogers.</p><p><br/>Steve also has a glass of champagne in his hand, the other is caressing Tony's cheek. He says something that gets them both laughing again, Peter's heart sinks deeper and deeper into his chest as he stumbles closer to the balcony. Even more so upon hearing Steve's next words.</p><p><br/>"Happy six months to us, who'd have known I could put up with your ass for that long!" He chuckles, clinking his glass against Tony's. </p><p><br/>Tony has a shit eating grin on his face, "Hey, it's not easy dating America's ass either you know." </p><p><br/>They both take a sip of their drink before sharing a kiss and taking a moment to stare into each others eyes. Peter can't help the sob that comes from his throat as he witnesses the exchange, loud enough to catch the pairs attention. Both males spot him straight away, neither moving for a second.</p><p><br/>"Shit. Peter, what the hell are you doing here? Why did FRIDAY let you upstairs anyway, I told her we didn't want any disturbances." Tony growls, making his way into the living area to crowd into Peter's space.</p><p><br/>"Wha- What's going on here?" Peter timidly asks, tears springing to his eyes. </p><p><br/>Steve takes this as his opportunity to come into the living room, "Hey kid, I don't think we've met before I- " Tony puts an arm out in-front of Steve cutting him off mid sentence.</p><p><br/>"Now's not the time for niceties babe. Peter, seriously, what do you want?" Tony asks, running a hand across his tired looking face. </p><p><br/>A single tear trickles down Peter's face, "I wanted to know why you were being weird with me, but I can see why. Six months hey? We only broke up two months ago Tones." His heart has completely shattered and by the look on Tony's face, he couldn't care less.</p><p><br/>"You say that as if I'm not aware of time. What's your point?" Tony sighs walking away from Peter at this point and throwing himself onto the sofa. </p><p><br/>"Listen son, I know this must be hard for you, but it's best for you to walk away now, you're only going to continue getting hurt." Steve says, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. Peter's not sure whether he's being patronised right this moment or if Steve's sincere, whatever it is though, Peter couldn't care less.</p><p><br/>He bats Steve's hand from his shoulder and moves around him towards Tony. "So that's it, I wasn't good enough for you so not only do you find someone more your age, you decide to cheat on me in the process?" He's completely bewildered at this point, at both Tony and Steve's attitude towards the whole situation. "Wait, you must have known that me and Tony were together this whole time." He points a finger at Steve who innocently nods and decides to leave Peter and Tony to it.</p><p><br/>"Basically. Look, you're just a kid. You don't understand the fact that sometimes peoples feelings change and it can't be helped. Me and Steve got caught in the moment and it ended up being more than just one moment. It doesn't matter anyway because you're nothing to do with me anymore. Me and Steve are happy and that's that really." Tony picks himself up off the sofa and knocks his shoulder against Peter's own. "Show yourself out." He dismisses, leaving Peter alone to gather himself and leave. Peter falls to the floor, running his fingers through his hair and allowing himself to completely break down.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not sure if this has ruined the story, let me know what you guys think! If it's trash I'll get rid, I dunno how I feel about it tbh like first I was in my feels and towards the end I felt like I was rambling and stuff</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony had him pinned to the floor, one hand braced on his shoulder and the other penetrating his chest, reaching in despite his protests and ripping his heart out. Peter screamed out, the colour in his face draining as Tony pulls his heart from him, taking agonisingly long seconds to appreciate the organ in his hand. </p><p><br/>
Tony blinks, eyes moving from Peter's heart to his wide brown eyes, a wicked grin reaping his features. "Please." Peter whimpers, struggling to catch his breath. He hears a spine curling snicker before bracing himself for the sound of his bloodied heart being punctured in Tony's hand. Peter screws his eyes shut, a single tear escaping his slowly dying body.</p><p><br/>
His body becomes encased in warmth, a mixture of the blood spilling from his exposed chest and what he soon realises to be Tony leaning over him. He can feel Tony's hot breath as he moves closer to his right ear.</p><p><br/>
"You're weak Parker, I knew you'd never be able to keep up with me. Cap will always be a better match, any day of the week. Especially in bed, whereas you-" He chuckles lowly to himself before continuing. "You're a child Pete. A child trying to live in an adults world where you're not ready or welcome. You should have seen the signs, it was going on for long enough after all."</p><p><br/>
Peter forces himself to open his eyes, to take a final look at the man he was so madly in love with. Tony still has his barely beating heart in his hand. Silent tears roll down his pale face as he feels his throat constricting, blood beginning to pool at the corners of his mouth. "I-I love y-you." Peter stammers, it ends up coming out as more of a whisper than anything else, but he's said his piece.</p><p><br/>
He can feel a trickle of blood slide down his cheek as his body grows incredibly cold and limp. Before darkness completely consumes him, he see's Tony throw his haggard heart onto the floor as he walks out, making sure to stomp on it to ensure the job is truly done. Tony takes one final look at the dying boy over his shoulder, "It was nice knowing you kid." He exits the room, pulling the door shut behind him and leaving Peter's lifeless body alone.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Peter gasps for air, trying his hardest to pull himself together. He'd been curled up on his bedroom floor ever since he got back to the apartment, tugging at his hair. "It's not real! It's not real!" Peter screams, hot tears running down his burning face. He thrashes around on the floor until he's able to ground himself, constantly reminding himself that it wasn't real. He attempts to take a deep breath, not only had Tony ruined his life, but now wormed his way into ruining his dreams too. </p><p><br/>
Every so often, his sobs subside and he finally thinks, 'I'm okay, I'll be alright.' then reality hits him with the force and speed of a train and he crashes once again. He lays a palm flat on the hardwood beneath him, using some breathing techniques he'd found online a year or so ago to regain control of his body and thoughts. </p><p><br/>
<em>"Don't flatter yourself Parker, I had nothing better to do with my evening. I knew you'd come with just a single text and here we are. Now get going."</em>
</p><p><br/>
<em>"Hey, it's not easy dating America's ass either you know." </em>
</p><p><br/>
<em>"Basically. Look, you're just a kid. You don't understand the fact that sometimes peoples feelings change and it can't be helped. Me and Steve got caught in the moment and it ended up being more than just one moment. It doesn't matter anyway because you're nothing to do with me anymore. Me and Steve are happy and that's that really. Show yourself out."</em>
</p><p><br/>
He shakes his head of the memories, using his bedside dresser to pull himself up from the floor. He sways for a moment, his grip on the dresser becoming tighter as a wave of dizziness sweeps him. He can feel the wood beginning to splinter before he realises just how much strength he's using to keep himself upright.</p><p><br/>
Once he comes back to himself, he strips off his t-shirt discarding it carelessly on the floor. It's soaked in sweat so he'll need to remember to ask May to wash it, when he can be bothered that is. He trudges towards the bathroom, opting to take a shower to calm himself down. When he gets to the bathroom however, it takes him a lot longer than it needs to actually get the water running.</p><p><br/>
Peter becomes frozen, catching the eye of  his biggest enemy, himself. He can't pull his sight from the mirror as much as he tries, his vision blurring and objects merging into one another. His mind fogs over and he's completely lost, staring emptily into everything and nothing at once. </p><p><br/>
He's dissociating. May would always freak out when he had an episode. It started happening after Ben was killed, becoming more noticeable when he was at school and missing crucial parts of his lessons. A lot of the time Ned would have to repeat something he'd just said because Peter was so lost to the world. With enough hours accumulated searching the internet and the insistent help of Ned, they together found a coping mechanism. </p><p>But in that moment, Peter was alone. There was no Ned or May present to help pull him out of space, he was drifting further away from the Earth, cartwheeling even. The stars around him were beautiful, each different and unique in their own way, it made Peter sad. It was hypocritical of him to find each and every star so dazzling when he found that he wasn't beautiful or unique, just different.</p><p>If he was different in the right way, perhaps Tony wouldn't have cheated on him. If he done better on his patrols and even worked harder on missions, maybe Tony would have stuck around for longer. If he was older, better, smarter, funnier, more Steve, Tony might have been happier with him. </p><p>He doesn't register that he's punched the mirror until he's physically shaking, his breathing shallower than it was while he was in space. His hand felt warm, pain shooting through his knuckles as he balls his fist, noticing shards of glass protruding through the skin. He watches the blood trickle down the glass and the droplets splatter onto the floor. Peter mentally slaps himself and sighs, more mess for him to clean up after he seriously gets his ass into the shower. </p><p> </p><p><br/>
He doesn't feel any better after showering, if anything he still feels empty. He's sat on the edge of his bed staring at the ceiling, a part of him wishing it would just collapse on top of him, maybe the feeling of being physically crushed would outweigh the feeling of it mentally and emotionally. He really doesn't understand what he's done so wrong in his life to deserve the treatment that life just keeps giving him on a bloodied platter.</p><p>May dubs it 'Parker Luck', Peter calls bullshit. </p><p>He supposes though, that things happen in three's. His parents dying had been unknowingly the first bad omen, followed by Ben and now this. The irony of all three blood related Parker men to die shouldn't sit so easy with Peter, yet here he is. Thinking about it, May wouldn't have to worry about taking on extra shifts at work if it wasn't for him, she'd be able to date when she's ready and not have to worry about what Peter thinks and feels about the situation. She'd be free of him and his god damn Parker Luck.</p><p>It was easy for Tony to rid himself of Peter, why wouldn't May be able to do the same. He sighs, running a hand down his face and settling to rub his temples rhythmically for some time. Peter's a man of science, but in that moment it didn't stop him praying to the forces above to cut him some slack and give him a damn break already, jeez he was so tired.</p><p>Stretching his body out, his head meets his pillow with a soft thud and as he closes his eyes, he allows himself a brief moment of escape. He gently grips the bed sheets beneath him, taking peace in how the fabric feels between his already bruising fingers. He can hear the traffic outside, reminding him that he's not alone. He knows for a fact that he's not the only person on this planet that has been cheated on and left heartbroken, but that doesn't mend his heart in the slightest bit like he wishes it would. </p><p>He should be angry with Tony, should have smashed the Tower before he left, cause a real problem. He could never, Peter Parker was a young man, softer than the fluffiest cloud any child could ever imagine. He was gentle and timid, couldn't think of anything worse than causing trouble, especially with intent.</p><p>The sound of a door slamming pulls him from his thoughts, the wall slightly vibrating confirming that someone's entered the apartment. He's not sure how long he's been laying on his bed, not even aware of what time it is either, all he know's is that May will definitely know there's something wrong. </p><p>A soft knock sounds from his bedroom door, a warning of enter rather than a question. May peeks her head into the room, he hopes that she can't see the dried tear tracks on his face, but damn Parker Luck strikes again. "Honey? Is everything okay?" She asks, keeping her voice low so as not to distress Peter.</p><p>He's so grateful for how gentle she is, of all the things that have happened to date, Peter will be forever thankful that he has someone as pure, thoughtful and loving as May in his life. </p><p>"Hey May-" He starts, lifting his head to give her a small smile. "-I'm alright, you should get to bed." He suggests, he can't bring himself to tell her what's happened. She dislikes Tony enough on the best of days, he can risk absolute carnage and fallout between the pair, not that it exactly mattered anymore.</p><p>She lets herself fully into his room, taking a hesitant seat on the edge of his bed. She runs her fingers through his hair, looking down at him sadly. Peter had forgotten how relaxing it is to have his hair played with, he feels as though his bones have turned to jello. "If you wanna talk about it, I'm always here sweetheart okay? I know I'm busy working extra shifts at the minute, but that doesn't mean we can't share the weight of the world." </p><p>Peter contemplates her words, it would be really nice to carry all this pressure alone, he's exhausted with it all. He sits up, taking a deep breath and exhaling shakily. "Tony was cheating on me." he whispers, screwing his eyes shut in preparation for May to commence ranting about how she always knew Tony was bad news and such.</p><p>"I'm so sorry baby." May whispers in return, pulling him into a tight hug, continuing to card her fingers through his hair. He can't feel any tears threatening to fall, the past month a bit has really taken it's toll on him. That, or the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders and he doesn't feel the need to cry anymore. "We'll get through this together." She promises him, rocking him back and forth ever so slightly. </p><p>He finds it hard to trust May's words, the love his life had been lying to him for long enough, whose to say that no one else is lying too. Peter instantly feels bad for thinking May would every lie to him, she has no reason to do so and she never has. Through thick and thin, she's been the constant, the only one in the apartment who was upfront and honest. Peter couldn't even say that about himself, he lied to May on so many occasions that he's run out of fingers and toes long ago to even keep count anymore. </p><p>For the first time since the beginning of the year, Peter finally felt somewhat at peace with himself, he finally felt like he was home after months of searching. He leans into May's touch more, utilising this moment for all that it's worth, allowing himself to be vulnerable. It's dark enough that he feels like he's hidden from the world, no one can see how broken he's become and this is his time to heal.</p><p>If he stays in bed for a few days following the events of 2020, nobody has to know except May. If he still cries himself when he goes to bed at night, nobody has to know except May. If he still can't stand the thought of the outside world after a week, nobody has to know except May.</p><p>She constantly praises him for the baby steps of progress he's making, be it far and inbetween, it's progress nonetheless. The first step Peter made was going back to school, May was so proud of him for finding the strength to return to normality. The happiness on Ned's face when he saw Peter was completely worth it, "I'm glad you're back bro." Ned grinned, opting to pull Peter for a bro hug instead of doing their handshake.</p><p> </p><p>It was sometime in mid-April, Peter had been completely swamped with schoolwork and for some reason, Flash was hassling him more than ever. He felt completely suffocated and he could feel his mood dipping with every minute that passed. The tip of the iceberg was when he was on the subway home, he was scrolling through his Twitter feed, retweeting some memes and rolling his eyes at his peers selfies cluttering his feed. One particular post happened to catch his eye though.</p><p>
  <strong>TONY STARK AND STEVE ROGERS - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HOTTEST COUPLE ON THE PLANET RIGHT </strong>
  <b>NOW</b>
</p><p>Peter felt bile rise up his throat, there had never been articles about his relationship with Tony like that, why was their relationship any different. He stuffed his phone angrily into his pocket and got off at his stop and jogged to the apartment. </p><p>He stormed into the living room, throwing his bag onto the sofa completely disregarding the contents spilling onto the floor. He ignored May who was in the kitchen preparing dinner, she hadn't tried talking to him so he didn't feel too bad. Getting to his bedroom, he lets out a blood curdling scream. Screaming with no abandon, full of frustration and anger.</p><p>May had been expecting a meltdown since that first night in February. Peter had kept himself so well composed aside from his tearful nights, she daren't make it known that she hears him, instead allowing him the time to grieve. She stops cooking opting to get takeout instead, letting Peter scream as much as he needed to. Allowing his frustrations to make an appearance would allow for more healing room in her eyes.</p><p>He continued screaming until his throat was raw, until he couldn't scream anymore. He pulled a picture frame from his chest of drawers, it was a picture of him and Tony at the beach back in 2016, the year they'd gotten together. Peter feels completely enraged, smashing the frame on his knee. When he gets his hand on the paper, he rips it to absolute shreds, relishing in the fact that he's finally doing it. He's finally getting rid of the last remnants of Tony Stark from his life.</p><p>In his bedside dresser drawer, he has a ton of cards from Tony. Birthday cards, Anniversary cards, Valentines cards and Christmas cards, all personalised with varying pictures of the pair. A month ago, Peter would read through the cards and tear up, wondering how it all went wrong. Now, he rips the cards up, throwing the remains in the air like confetti. "Fuck you Tony!" He shrieks in the general direction of his window, panting amidst the mess. </p><p>He feels two hands rest on his shoulders from behind, he turns his head slightly and see's May with a small smile on her face, staring out of the window with him. "Yeah, fuck you Tony." She agrees, giving his shoulders a squeeze. "You ready for something to eat?"</p><p>Peter's stomach grumbles in response, he nods in extra affirmation before letting a breath out he didn't realise he'd been holding. He's overcome with a wave of exhaustion and hunger, forgetting how much energy it takes to have a breakdown. At the same time though, he feels relieved, free from the worries that have troubled him since the beginning of the year.</p><p>As he follows May out of his bedroom, he kicks the scraps of paper across his floor lightly, a small smile gracing his face. He's no longer bound down by the pain and heartbreak that Tony caused him. He can hear May talking about getting some Thai but he's not really listening to what she's saying, he's so caught up in how proud he is of himself for finally being able to move on from the shit show that is Tony Stark's life.</p>
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